2012 ford f-150 Reviews and News

Ford recently built its 100,000th Ecoboost-equipped F-series pickup, ten months after the engine was first introduced in February. By any measure, the turbocharged V-6 has been well received by F-series buyers, who it was feared might look askance at an engine that wasn't a V-8.

The impressive part is that they paid $895 extra (over the 5.0-liter V-8) to get the Ecoboost V-6. They will save some money on gasoline, but the fuel economy difference between the two engines really is not that great. With rear-wheel drive, the Ecoboost F-150 gets 16/22 mpg, which beats the V-8 version by 1 mpg, both city and highway. The four-wheel-drive Ecoboost is rated at 15/21 mpg, which betters its V-8 counterpart by 1 mpg city and 2 mpg highway. Ecoboost owners who drive 15,000 miles per year will save a little less than $200 annually at the pump (with gas at $3.23 a gallon).

Besides fuel economy, the Ecoboost engine also increases towing capacity slightly, by about 500 pounds, which judging by TV commercials, is something that's always on the minds of pickup truck buyers. The turbo V-6 also might have better resale value come trade-in time.

After spending a week with an Ecoboost-equipped F-150 Lariat SuperCrew, I can say that buyers do not sacrifice driveability. The engine is torquey and responsive. It makes 40 more pound-feet of torque than the V-8 (420 pound-feet total) and does so at a lower RPM. Although the throttle isn't jumpy, it takes only a light pressure to smartly accelerate this big boy, accompanied by a slight whoosh from the turbo. Nice.

In other thoughts, the four-door cab is stretch-out spacious; the fancy Lariat trim level is suitably deluxe although the fake wood adorning the massive center stack is particularly unconvincing. The electrically assisted power steering could be tuned better; it's springy and overboosted.

Finally, I couldn't help but marvel at the F-150's sheer hugeness. A SuperCrew with a 5.5-foot box (a 6.5-foot can be had), its wheelbase spans 145 inches, and the truck is a challenge to berth and maneuver. Unless you'll be parking it in a field, consider the optional backup camera a necessity. The widespread gigantism of today's full-size pickups also means that even six-foot adults have to climb up to get aboard, and loading cargo into the bed requires a big lift. Full-size pickups weren't always this overgrown. There was a time when they weren't much taller than regular cars, and they still managed to get the job done. Now they've gone all steroidal and ridiculous.

But maybe the fact that F-series buyers have embraced a turbo-boosted smaller engine when it was feared that they were wedded to V-8s is a signal that they're smarter than manufacturers' give them credit for. Maybe, just maybe, truck makers could step back from the race to build ever-more-gargantuan pickups, and focus instead on making the best possible tool to helps truck buyers do what they need. The EcoBoost V-6 could be a start.

The F-series pickup sits at the very top of the U.S. sales chart -- in fact, no other vehicle comes close. That means this humble pickup is the most important vehicle in the Ford lineup, so it tends to get a lot of attention. Last year the powertrain lineup was extensively revamped with the addition of Ford's first EcoBoost truck engine, a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6. In addition, a 3.7-liter V-6 and two V-8s (5.0 and 6.2 liters) are ready to be put to work. All four engines are mated to a relatively sophisticated six-speed automatic transmission. As always, the F-150 is available in a multitude of configurations, with three cabs, two bed lengths, and Trim Levels that range from the workhorse XL all the way to the top-of-the-line Platinum model. In addition, there's the SVT Raptor, a high-performance truck that gets a new Torsen front differential for even greater off-road ability. Then there's the Harley-Davidson F-150, with new twenty-two-inch wheels, chrome twin exhausts, and custom graphics, along with the same 6.2-liter V-8 found in the Raptor. With so many versions to choose from, the F-series represents a near-perfect meld of utilitarian practicality and indulgent user-friendliness. Whether your needs call for a vehicle you can use to haul a trailer or one that you can race off-road, the F-series has a model to fill the bill -- which explains why it's the best-selling vehicle in America.

The Fiscal Cliff, European Union financial crisis and plummeting car sales, and uncertainty in the Chinese market be damned. Last year was a very good one for the U.S. car and light truck market. Americans bought 14.4 million of them in 2012, up 13.4 percent from calendar '11's 12.7 million.

It was a good month for the Ford Motor Company and a great month for the carmaker's larger offerings: sales of CUVs, SUVs, and pickups helped hoist the company's June sales figure 7.0 percent to at toal of 207,759 units.The boost came from both Ford and Lincoln: the former jumped 7.2 percent to 200,215 units, while the latter edged up 2.5 percent to 7544 units.

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Recalls

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 FORD F-150, 2012 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR, AND 2012-2013 MUSTANG VEHICLES, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NOS. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT" AND 108 ¿LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.¿ THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR (TRS) THAT WAS CALIBRATED OUT OF SPECIFICATION FOR REVERSE GEAR.

Consequences

IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR WHEN THE DRIVER PUSHES THE SHIFT LEVER IN THE REVERSE ¿R¿ POSITION AND THE VEHICLE¿S TRANSMISSION DOES GO IN REVERSE, THE ¿R¿ MAY NOT ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD OF THE F-150, EXPEDITION, OR NAVIGATOR MODELS AND/OR THE BACKUP LAMP ON THE REAR OF THE F-150, EXPEDITION, NAVIGATOR, OR MUSTANG VEHICLES MAY NOT ILLUMINATE. THESE CONDITIONS INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH OR A PEDESTRIAN BEING STRUCK DUE TO THE VEHICLE¿S NOT SIGNALING IT IS IN REVERSE.

Remedy

FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE TRS AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.

Potential Units Affected

10,500

Notes

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

Recall Date

12-31-1969:21:35:20

Component

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BACK UP LIGHTS

Summary

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 FORD F-150, 2012 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR, AND 2012-2013 MUSTANG VEHICLES, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NOS. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT" AND 108 ¿LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.¿ THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR (TRS) THAT WAS CALIBRATED OUT OF SPECIFICATION FOR REVERSE GEAR.

Consequences

IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR WHEN THE DRIVER PUSHES THE SHIFT LEVER IN THE REVERSE ¿R¿ POSITION AND THE VEHICLE¿S TRANSMISSION DOES GO IN REVERSE, THE ¿R¿ MAY NOT ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD OF THE F-150, EXPEDITION, OR NAVIGATOR MODELS AND/OR THE BACKUP LAMP ON THE REAR OF THE F-150, EXPEDITION, NAVIGATOR, OR MUSTANG VEHICLES MAY NOT ILLUMINATE. THESE CONDITIONS INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH OR A PEDESTRIAN BEING STRUCK DUE TO THE VEHICLE¿S NOT SIGNALING IT IS IN REVERSE.

Remedy

FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE TRS AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.

Potential Units Affected

10,500

Notes

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

Recall Date

12-31-1969:21:35:20

Component

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE

Summary

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 F-150 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 6, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 15, 2011. INCORRECT SOFTWARE FOR THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM MODULE (OCSM) WAS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLES EITHER AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURING OR DURING THE COURSE OF REPLACEMENT OF THE MODULE AS PART OF A SERVICE REPAIR. UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE OCSM MAY MISCLASSIFY THE PASSENGER SEAT¿S OCCUPANT SUCH THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DOES NOT DEPLOY WHEN IT SHOULD, DOES NOT DEPLOY AS INTENDED, OR DEPLOYS WHEN IT SHOULD NOT.

Consequences

A FAILURE TO DEPLOY, FAILURE TO DEPLOY AS INTENDED, OR A DEPLOYMENT WHEN NOT INTENDED, INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT OCCUPANT.

Remedy

FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCSM FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 21, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.